Homeownership brings many exciting opportunities. This is an opportunity to realize the daily vision you have long dreamed of. However, some homes are governed by homeowners associations, which greatly limits the changes you can make to the property.
In a recent Reddit post, a new homeowner shared their frustration after learning that their newly built custom home was governed by an HOA.
“We built a house in front of [we] They were told the HOA would only be the street we were on. ” they shared. “I got a letter last month that I thought was garbage because it mentioned HOAs and HOAs. Finally opened it and the letter said we were part of the XX HOA and this was what we were owed. I called and said there was an error. [it] Turns out, no, our builder did not notify our HOA. “
Not only was the new HOA management not disclosed to the new homeowners, it also challenged the homeowners’ plans to make their custom buildings more environmentally friendly.
“I want to return my lovely custom house because of how awfully restrictive this location is for us (our fence is too high, was installed during construction, and we want solar panels, something we have to fight for),” the homeowner commented.
Unfortunately, this is not a unique situation. Many homeowners find their environmental plans met with resistance from their HOAs. Some people have been told to destroy their lawns, others have been refused installation of solar panels and many more have been banned from parking their electric cars in their garages.
More than 75 million people live in HOA communities, and that number is likely to continue to grow. In 2022, 66% of newly completed homes will be in HOA communities, a 17% increase from 2011.
It is important that as more and more Americans find themselves under HOA management, they understand how to navigate HOA management and rules. Some state and federal laws prohibit certain rules set by HOAs, such as those prohibiting drying laundry outside or planting native plants in the yard.
To protect themselves from unfair HOA rules, homeowners should thoroughly review the governing documents before purchasing a property. Once they purchase a home, they should actively attend HOA meetings and openly communicate with their neighbors about HOA rules. Finally, seeking legal help when needed can help resolve any disputes.
As one reply under the original post stated: “This is the domain of consulting an attorney.”
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